London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

The first run, in November 1927, only for vehicles over thirty years old.
Finish line of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, 2005

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world's longest-running motoring event, held on a course between London (51°30′31″N 00°09′49″W / 51.50861°N 0.16361°W / 51.50861; -0.16361 (Hyde Park)) and Brighton (50°49′42″N 00°08′22″W / 50.82833°N 0.13944°W / 50.82833; -0.13944 (Brighton)), England. To qualify, participating cars must have been built before 1905. It is also the world's largest gathering of veteran cars.[a] The first edition, "The Emancipation Run" in 1896, celebrated the recently passed Locomotives on Highways Act 1896, which liberalised motor vehicle laws in the United Kingdom.

The run has taken place most years since its initial revival in 1927. It currently takes place on the first Sunday in November, starting at sunrise, about 7:00 AM,[3] in Hyde Park, London, and mostly following the old A23 road to the finish at Brighton – a distance of 54 mi (87 km). There are two official stops along the way: Crawley (for coffee) and Preston Park (in a suburb of Brighton). Preston Park is the official finishing point; the cars then proceed to Madeira Drive on the seafront, also the venue for Brighton's other big motoring event, the Brighton Speed Trials.

The event is organised on behalf of the Royal Automobile Club, who emphasise that the event is not a race – they do not even publish the order in which cars finish, and participants are not permitted to exceed an average speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Any that finish (many do not) before 4:30 PM are awarded a medal.

There are a few other events preceding the Veteran Car Run, such as the Motoring Forum, the Veteran Car Run Sale, a motor show, and a participant reception.[4]

  1. ^ Motor Sport, January 2010, Page 113.
  2. ^ The Manchester Guardian, 24 November 1930, Page 9; The Scotsman, 15 November 1938, Page 14.
  3. ^ "November 2022 – Sun in Hyde Park". Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  4. ^ "London to Brighton Veteran Car Run". rove.me. Retrieved 7 December 2022.


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